Blood Money
by Shelfkid91
Summary: It's been six months since Sonic and the gang defeated, and exploded, Alex. The DarkHearts haven't been seen since. However, the vengeful clones have gotten serious. They've hired hardcore assassins. Now the heroes are a bit in over their heads. T jic
1. Prologue: March of the Fools

_Disclaimer: I do not own any original characters, ideas, places or items mentioned in this story. They belong to Sega and Sonic Team and I do not take any claim on them._

_Author's note: Okay, I was terrified to put this story up. Yes, it is the Sequel to SD. Enjoy/smile/_

_Zeera13 was here. I editted. _

_Prologue: March of the Fools _

The room was dark. That was the first thing the hedgehog thought of as he slowly and quietly walked in. He looked around the pitch black room and sighed. A small creak echoed behind him and he jumped, but he kept his head. Behind him was another hedgehog and something that seemed to be hovering a few feet off the ground. The first hedgehog shook his head and sighed. Suddenly a beam of light came down, revealing the dirty grey floor. The first hedgehog gripped a bladed weapon. There was a slight chuckle. "Stand down," a voice said. It echoed through out the concrete room. The second hedgehog was not nearly as jumpy as the first. The hovering beast stayed silently where it was, just a ghost of the form it was. The second hedgehog was the first to step into the light beam. He had on a pitch black, hooded cloak. He lifted the cloak's hood off and then the rest of the cloak. He let it fall around his feet. The light revealed his pure white body and light blue streaks on his downward facing spikes. His black gloved gripped nothing and his ice blue eyes showed no fear. "Project Sun's Light," the voice said. The hedgehog nodded. "Property of G.U.N, created over sixty-five years ago. You don't look like the creature in the report. You are the prototype of Project: Shadow, are you not?" The hedgehog nodded. "Very well. Show me what you've got." The hedgehog stood ready. The light went out. Suddenly three robots flew in from the darkness that surrounded them.

The hedgehog smiled and leaped, landing with near perfection behind the first robot. It turned and charged. Sun's Light snickered and rolled out of its way. He grabbed the leg of the robot and hurled it. The explosion was small, but enough to light the room for a second. Sun's Light looked around to spot the other two robots. He smiled and ran toward one of them. This one was smarter than its partner. It picked up the charging hedgehog and hurled him to the wall. Sun's Light quickly spun himself in the air and landed, feet first, on the wall. His legs pushed off on impact and he used himself as a bullet. The robot's head was taken clean off by the impact of the hedgehog. The hedgehog hurled the head of the robot at the third. It fell to the ground sparking.

The light came back on. "Very good, Sun's Light," the voice said.

"You can call me Light," the hedgehog said.

"Alright. You may step down." Light nodded. He gingerly picked up the black cloak and put it on with the hood and took a step out of the light beam. He was quickly replaced by the first hedgehog. This one didn't seem as calm as Light. His eyes darted and his free hand twitched slightly. The voice chuckled. "Bloodrayne?" He asked. The hedgehog nodded. This one seemed more like the spitting image of Shadow, except he was red with black streaks. His blood-red eyes searched the dark room. In his hand was a blade. "You have quite a record," the voice said. Bloodrayne nodded. "If you're half the man in these records, you might actually last more then a day with these guys. Show me." The light went out. Bloodrayne ran toward where he thought a robot would be. There was a loud groan as the hedgehog tripped over the mauled body of Light's robot. The hedgehog growled and quickly regained his footing. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, listening for the robot. He heard a soft mechanical whir and smiled. He lunged toward the whir and smiled as the he felt the cold metal through his gloves. He quickly sliced through the robot's chest and lunged away from it. There was no explosion. He cursed his luck and attempted to locate his other opponents. This time, there was no faint whir. He growled and stalked toward where he figured the robot would be. The room was much bigger in the dark. He yelped as he was grabbed by the shoulders. There was a brief struggle and a loud snap. The hedgehog smiled as the robotic body fell to the floor with a loud crash. He searched for the third.

He never had a chance to find it. The light came back on. He jumped at the beam and sighed. "You're reputation exceeds your ability," the voice said. "How you made it to the top is beyond me. Step down." The hedgehog growled and backed out of the light. Suddenly the room flooded with light. Before the two hedgehogs and the beast was a panel. The seven people in the panel couldn't be seen. "You may be wondering why we have called you here," the voice called. "It wasn't your smarts, and it obviously wasn't your skills. The only reason we chose you two is because the best was no where to be found." Light snarled and Bloodrayne shook his head angrily. "Now that we've gotten pride out of the way, I have a question for Sun's Light." The white hedgehog cocked his head. "What is that thing?" Light turned to see the hovering form behind him.

"His name is Hazard, and he's my Prototype," Light answered. The beast flew silently to the hedgehog. It resembled a Chinese Water Dragon. Two long whiskers flowed from its snout. It had no legs and a long membrane went down its back. The entire body of the beast seemed to be made of water. One side of it was pure white with a black eye; the other was deep black with a white eye. It flowed as if it were water. Light gently stroked the head of the beast and it closed its eyes in content. "He will be most helpful on our journey," Light said.

"Whether or not it is helpful is none of my concern!" The voice snapped. "Your targets are not pushovers. We underestimated our opponents the first time we did this. We will not repeat that mistake. Any questions before I give you your targets?" Both hedgehogs shook their heads. Hazard snarled silently. "Good." There was a loud thud as a very large, overstuffed folder came crashing to the floor. "These are your targets." Light reached the folder before Bloodrayne did and quickly began leafing through the files. He raised his hand. The panel leader sighed. "Yes?"

"I see Shadow is not a target in this assignment. Why?"

"Shadow was not part of the initial attack, Sun's Light, but I understand your previous mission was to destroy him. We'll pay you extra if you bring us Shadow's body." Light smiled and nodded. Bloodrayne had nothing to say. His eyes were scanning the records. A smile played on his face as he saw the target he wanted. He had already read up on the gang. This was his second time getting paid to destroy them. After his first failure, he had been waiting for a second chance. It seemed the Fates weren't fully against him.

"How much money are we talking about?" Light asked. Bloodrayne sighed. It wasn't polite to ask for your payment in advance.

"Five-thousand a piece," the leader answered with a hint of amusement in his voice. "The more you kill, the more money your get. Don't concern yourself too much with the children. We hardly saw them when we went up against this group. I doubt they will pose much of a threat to you two. And this time, no mind games! Our failure had to do with the desire to rip their hearts out and then kill them. If you get one in your possession, I don't recommend hesitating to drive a spike in their hearts!"

"I don't use a spike," Bloodrayne muttered. The panel leader snorted, but ignored the comment. He had no time for a young man's game.

"Remember, come back with their bodies, or prepare to die. There will be no running. We _will_ find you. Do you accept?"

"Yes sir," Light said with a salute. He had been reformed by G.U.N, making him a military creature. He had their discipline. Bloodrayne only nodded. The panel leader smiled and told them to leave. The two hedgehogs and Hazard turned away and walked out of the concrete room. The light went out again.

"Well played, Alex," a female voice whispered. There were sounds of chairs moving and then feet until the panel only had two members left seated. "Do you think they will succeed?"

There was a chilling laugh that echoed throughout the cold concrete room. "I wouldn't put my life in their hands, but they seem capable enough to tear them down enough so that we can come in and finish them off. This does, however, give us time to plan more. They may have won the battle, but the war is ours…"

_Author's note: Yeah, it's a bit short. The reason there were no credits in this is because they stay the same, except Hazard, Light and Bloodrayne. (And Jink, but he's MMUUCCHH later!) As far as who belongs to who, I think Light, Hazard and Jink are my characters and Bloodrayne is Zeera's dude person. I do believe that's all the newbie's. No, Chuck does not reappear in this story. He may make a cameo. _


	2. Chapter 1: Ripping Apart

_Author's note: Nothing to say here… I just hope ya'll like this story. _

_Chapter One: Ripping Apart _

_Saturday _

_1900hrs _

_Mystic Ruins _

It was a fairly warm night. The hedgehog was enjoying the almost perfect weather. He sighed and looked at the full moon. "Well, Shadow," he muttered to himself, "looks like you've finally lost it." He shook his head and a slight smile played on his lips. He had never really stopped to appreciate the world around him and he had decided that night was the best night to try and take a walk. He hadn't imagined he would enjoy himself this much. He stopped and jumped into a tree and settled against the trunk. He wasn't living anywhere at the moment and was just trying to get his bearings before he attempted to find a permanent home. With a loud sigh he looked up at the sky.

"Finally settling down?" A voice growled. Shadow jumped as a dagger landed in the truck beside his head. He stood up on the branch. "Wanna make it your last?" Shadow jumped from the tree and landed with a grunt.

"That, my wayward friend will be your last mistake," he snarled.

"I doubt that," the voice retorted. A boomerang flew into the clearing. Shadow jumped over it. He landed with a growl. Two seconds later he dropped to his knees, hands on the ground. The boomerang flew just above his head. "Not bad." A red and black hedgehog leapt into the clearing. Shadow stared at the hedgehog and shook his head.

"Who are you?" He asked angrily.

The second hedgehog laughed. "I'm the last thing you'll ever see," he snapped. Shadow smiled and stood up from his crouch. "Let's play," the assassin growled.

Shadow nodded and slowly began circling his opponent. He didn't have much doubt he would beat this guy, but he didn't like the weapons. The assassin was calculating the distance to the dagger in the tree. Shadow took advantage of the other hedgehog's momentary pause. He lunged, holding up a Chaos Emerald. "Disappear!" He screamed. The assassin snarled as he was hit with the blast. Shadow growled as well as he was hit because of being so close to the one receiving the full blast. He reached the assassin seconds after the Chaos Spear. He grabbed his attacker by the neck and had him in a head lock. He charged a tree with his victim's head hitting first. Shadow released as searing pain ripped through his arm. He looked down to see a very large cut on his forearm. He cursed and looked for the other hedgehog. He was no where to be found. Shadow shook his head and backed up against a tree to prevent being snuck up on from behind. He jumped as the assassin was thrown into the clearing. Shadow cocked his head.

The assassin was quickly followed by a white and blue hedgehog. "I told you!" The hedgehog yelled. Shadow narrowed his eyes. "I told you that guy was mine!"

The assassin stood up. "Chill, Light," he growled. "We get paid extra for that guy. You think I'd just let you have him without problem?" He asked.

"Chill? You want me to chill, Bloodrayne? Oh, I'll chill!" Light threw a punch at his partner. Bloodrayne jumped away. Shadow shook his head. He didn't want to see the outcome to this fight. He turned and fled at full speed. He knew where he was going this time.

Bloodrayne glared at Light. "Shouldn't we, ya know, be working together or something?" He asked sarcastically.

Light grabbed him. "Listen, '_pal_', you and I both know this isn't a group effort, it's a contest. Those morons in that room don't care if we get along, as long as the job gets done right and fast!" He threw Bloodrayne to the ground. "I'm not anybody's partner, or a team player."

Bloodrayne stood up and took a deep breath, trying not to send his blade into the other hedgehog's throat. "Really?" He snapped. "I couldn't tell. Maybe you should be a bit clearer when it comes to getting your message across."

Light narrowed his eyes. "You're lucky you're not on the hit list," he hissed.

"Bring it," Bloodrayne shot back. Light looked around.

"Well, looks like you're game has lost me valuable blood. You'll pay for that," he said calmly. "If you are going to go after my main target, I'll go after yours."

Bloodrayne glared at the white hedgehog. "You stay away from him!" He snarled.

"Oh, like you stayed away from Shadow?" Light laughed. "I have no time to argue with a child. Good night." He turned away from the assassin. "Hazard!" He yelled. The dragon flew silently into the clearing. Bloodrayne shivered slightly at the creature's ghostly silence. Light placed a hand on the dragon and led the beast into the trees. Bloodrayne snarled angrily and wiped his bloodied boomerang clean with a rag. He looked up in the tree where his blade was still hanging out. He sighed and jumped into the tree and pulled away the blade. He rubbed his forehead and jumped down from the branch. Somehow, he had a feeling that this wasn't going to be as easy as he had thought it was going to be.

_Saturday _

_1913hrs _

_Chaotix Agency _

Tails was outside, again. This time, though, he wasn't one the roof. Since the time he had fallen off with his broken tail, Vector had banned the fox from sitting up there. He had to settle with lying in the grass. The twin-tailed fox had been somewhat aloof ever since their first run in with the DarkHearts. The entire hero group had been led into a false sense of security when Alex was 'killed.' Sonic and Tails' friendship had grown back, but, like with most things, they were missing the mutual trust. Tails knew he'd have to work for that one back. He didn't blame the hedgehog for the slight look he got every once and a while. Knuckles had also watched them with interest. The echidna kept his eyes on the fox as if he would go homicidal again on the hedgehog. He and Tails alike were surprised Sonic slept in the same hotel with the fox on occasion. The gang had gotten particularly wary of hotels. Tails was, at the moment, living in a hotel room. (Under a Hero's discount, of course.) He didn't have the money to pay someone to rebuild his workshop and he didn't have the time to do it himself. He had been worried about the disappeared screwdriver and he was spending most of his time trying to track down the remaining DarkHearts. So far, he had no luck. It was like they disappeared off the face of the planet. He didn't think they would have to worry about the seemingly leaderless group, but he still wanted to keep an eye on them. That, and his botany research, had kept him from finding the time to rebuild his workshop.

"You really need to stop this," Sonic said as he came to sit by the fox.

Tails lifted himself to the sitting position. "What? Vector says I can't use the roof."

"I don't understand why you just don't sleep here. You're burning a lot of money living in that hotel. Chaotix has offered you a room, you know. You need to learn to take the free gifts life hands out to you." The fox became suddenly interested in a bug that was crawling on the grass. "You always do this to me. I sit here and try to talk to you and you get interested in something else that has no importance."

Tails picked up the pill bug he was messing with and let it crawl over the palm of his hand. "Sorry, but I guess I still don't trust myself to be around people," he muttered.

Sonic smiled. "Oh, come on! Six months, Tails. So you almost caused the destruction of the world! Who cares? You do that on a regular basis." Tails' shoulders slumped. Sonic sighed, realizing he had just said something stupid. "Look, can't we just forget that ever happened? I've forgiven you, why can't you forgive yourself?"

Tails poked the pill bug and it curled into a tight ball. He sighed and wished he could do the same. "It's not that simple," he whispered.

"I don't get what's so complicated about it, Tails. Why is it so hard for you to face the facts? You made a mistake, Tails! We _all_ make mistakes!"

Tails looked down at the pill bug and he suddenly wanted to trade places with it. That tiny bug's only problem was what it would eat that day. It didn't have to deal with its mistakes and it didn't have a friend that could never fully understand it. He just wanted to escape the world for five minutes and love every moment he had when he got back. His world was shattered, however, by a terrified yell. He jumped to see Sonic on the ground, covered in blood and a black and red hedgehog lying beside him, panting. He quickly placed the pill bug on a blade of grass and ran to the blue hedgehog. He didn't care for the black and red one. "Someone get help!" He screamed into the house. Vector ran out and shook his head at what he saw. A few moments later Espio sped out of the house. Vector was on the phone. Sonic pushed Tails away.

"It's not my blood," he snarled and looked toward the wounded hedgehog. "Shadow?" He asked. The hedgehog nodded weakly. Sonic rubbed his head. "What happened?" He asked. Shadow shook his head and Sonic nodded. "Tails. Get inside, get some bandages. You're going to be fine, Shadow. Just breathe." Tails ran inside.

"Where did you send Espio?" Tails asked Vector.

"You remember that crazy panther and that wolf?" The croc asked. Tails nodded. "Well, she's a doctor, and right now, no hospital will want Shadow in their rooms. She's all we got." Tails shook his head. "All we have is small cut bandages. No one usually gets this hurt around here. Dish rags are over there, though," he said. Tails ran to the indicated drawer and pulled out a dish rag. "Knux is on his way." Vector said. Tails stopped in his tracks.

"The whole gang is coming?" He asked.

"Well, Charmy is at Summer Camp, but other than that, yes."

_So it begins,_ Tails thought, but he smiled anyway. "I guess it'll be good to see them again," he lied. When they made it back outside, there was no need for the dish towel. Espio had arrived with the Wildhearts, excluding Skylar. Tails made a mental note to ask where the bird was, but at the moment it seemed irrelevant.

Zeera was working quickly with Shadow. She had isolated the wound and was wrapping it with the first layer of gauze. Shadow cried out. The wound had been much deeper than he had first thought. Zeera shook her head. "He's lost a lot of blood, but he should be fine if he would just _calm down!_" Shadow stopped struggling. Zeera smiled. "That's a good little patient. Now, hold still."

Gallop looked at Espio. "How's it going?" He asked quietly.

Espio shot a glance at Vector, but the croc wasn't paying attention. The detective shook his head. "It's gone," he whispered. Gallop sighed.

"Mine's pretty much empty too. How 'bout Tails'?"

Espio shook his head again. "It's all gone," he repeated.

"Does Vector know?"

"He knows that we're running out, but he doesn't know that it's _all_ gone. At least, I don't think he does." Gallop nodded.

"Does he know where you've been getting it for six months?" He asked. Espio shook his head. Gallop nodded again and turned to look at Zeera and Shadow.

"Who's that?" He asked.

"His name is Shadow, and by the looks of it, you're going to know more about him soon." Zeera helped Shadow to his feet and slowly led him into the house. Sonic, Tails, and Vector followed. Knuckles ran up as they disappeared into the house.

"What did I miss?" He asked.

"Shadow got attacked, it looks like." Espio answered.

Knuckles shrugged."You two look like you have a dirty little secret. Wanna share?" He asked.

"Even if we did, you wouldn't be able to help." Espio answered quietly. Gallop nodded. Knuckles sighed and shook his head.

"Well, knowing this group, we're missing something." He walked toward the house. "Let's go!" Gallop made eye contact with Espio, who shrugged. Espio walked up to the door and followed Knuckles inside. Gallop looked around and heard a slight curse coming from the trees surrounding the agency. He shook his head and fled to the safety of the house.

_Author's note: Guys, I understand that Light may seem "unoriginal", but before you judge him, I beg of you to give him a chance. He was the main reason I was scared to put this story up. _


	3. Chapter 2: We'll Never Forget

_Author's note: WRITER'S BLOCK!!! I hate it! _

_Chapter Two: We'll never forget…_

_Saturday_

_1945hrs _

_Chaotix Agency_

Shadow looked around quietly. He had been left on the couch while the larger group left to go into a meeting. He kept and ear out for what they were saying, but he couldn't make out words anymore. The past thirty minutes or so were a blur. He vaguely remembered the panther saying that he had entered a state of shock, which was where his irrational behavior had come from. He had been told he would be fine, but there was still something bothering him. Who were these people?

"Who attacked him?" Vector asked in the kitchen.

Zeera shook her head. "I couldn't get much out of him. Between shock and what ever scared him, he couldn't form sentences."

"He's asleep, right?" Espio asked.

Zeera smiled. "As for as I know, he's sleeping, but I didn't give him anything to help him with it, so he might not be."

"I want him out of my house."

Vector glared at the detective. "_Your_ house? This is our house, and why in the world are you going to kick him out?"

"Because, he is obviously bringing trouble, and I am not getting our team involved in another life or death situation! I don't want to go through this again!"

"No one said anything about the clones, Espio," Sonic growled.

"Are you that stupid? That _thing_" he pointed angrily at Tails, "Killed their leader! Do you honestly think they are going to sit down and let us get away with it?" Tails growled softly, but ended up with his head down. He didn't need anyone rubbing in the fact that he had indeed caused more trouble than good by killing Alex. He just wanted to be left alone. Sonic gave Espio the death glare and patted the young fox on his shoulders. Tails broke away from his friend and backed up to a wall where he stayed and listened silently.

Knuckles turned to Sonic and shook his head, indicating that the fox didn't want to be bothered at the moment. Sonic sighed and turned back to the group at the table. "Even if it is them," Knuckles stated, continuing the previous discussion, "then why would they be going after Shadow? He's been a pacifist throughout all of this. He hasn't done anything wrong."

"How should I know? I want to know why they just aren't going after Tails!"

Gallop sighed. "Maybe they are. Maybe they're using Shadow as a way to get back to us, thus getting to Tails."

"So, they're just after the fox?" Vector asked.

"I wouldn't say that. They're most likely after all of us, but if I were them, I'd want my revenge with Tails."

Espio shrugged. "Okay, let's hand over the fox!" He said. That started a very loud argument within the kitchen. Tails flattened his ears at the yelling around the table. The fox silently slipped into the living room.

"Tough day?" Shadow asked. Tails jumped and looked at the hedgehog.

"So, what _did_ happen?" Tails asked. Shadow took a deep breath and allowed his story to slip out. He didn't mention the names of his attackers, but he did mention that they seemed to be competing for blood. "I fled while they were fighting. An odd way to escape, I'll admit, but it works. I fled to your house, but, to my utter shock, it sort of wasn't there anymore."

Tails chuckled and rubbed his neck. "Yeah- About that… That was sort of my fault. Chemicals are not the best thing for you when you have less than intelligent children running around while you're knocked out from head-ache medication."

Shadow shrugged. "Well, they're after someone else too," he said. "They mentioned something about there being more they had to kill." Tails groaned and sat down on the chair across the room. "So, what is it with you guys? I haven't seen you in a while, but everyone seems more distant."

Tails took a deep breath and let his story slip out. When he was finished, Shadow cocked his head. "Clones?" He asked. Tails nodded. Shadow smiled. "What is this, _Star Wars?_" Tails glared at him. He apparently didn't get the joke until a few seconds later, because he began chuckling. "Yeah, that was uncalled for," Shadow muttered.

"No, it wasn't. I'm just surprised you came up with that joke," Tails said with a smile. "Maybe if someone had your sense of humor during that time, we wouldn't have been at each other's throats."

Espio tore out of the kitchen, followed by Vector and Gallop. Knuckles followed, but he didn't go after the trio when they hit the staircase. He looked at Tails and Shadow. "You two enjoying yourselves?" He asked. Tails shrugged and Shadow didn't ever acknowledge Knuckles' existence. Knuckles rolled his eyes, but held his tongue before he made another "Gang up on Knuckles" comment. "So, Tails, well, after much discussion, Espio has persuaded us to give you the freaks who want you dead!" Tails' eyes widened and he backed away in his chair. Knuckles chuckled. "Nah, just kidding. There was some more screaming and then Espio broke out and ran to his room. Vector and Gallop went to reason with him." Sonic and Zeera walked out of the kitchen as well.

There was a knock on the door. "Vector!" Sonic yelled.

"Go ahead and get it. If it ain't a client, tell them to go away!"

Sonic shrugged and opened the door. He cocked his head at the visitor. "If you aren't here with a case, then go away," he said. The visitor smiled.

"Oh, I have a reason for being here," the visitor said.

Sonic rubbed his forehead. "One moment," he answered and shut the door. "Vector! I don't think it's a client, but he wants to come in."

"Tell whoever it is that I can't see them right now! Tell them to come back tomorrow!"

Sonic reopened the door. "Vector says to come back tomorrow," he said to the visitor.

"I have an appointment," he said.

"Vector! He says he has an appointment!"

"I never made an appointment with anyone! I can't come down. Tell him to leave!"

Sonic looked back at the visitor. "Sorry, but we're in the middle of a situation, and we sort of can't have any visitors right now, so if you don't mind…" He went to shut the door again. A black gloved hand stopped the door.

"You fail to understand that I'm not leaving until I got what I came here for."

Sonic pushed harder on the door. "Sorry, but he said 'no', so leave!"

"You once again fail to see that I am _not _leaving, and neither are you!" The blue hedgehog screamed as a small knife ripped through his chest. He backed away from the door gripping his chest. His gloves were already turning red with blood. The group in the house gawked as a blue and white hedgehog stepped into the house. "Thank you," he said to Sonic. Shadow jumped up and stared at the hedgehog. His eyes widened. Before he could speak, the white creature lunged. Shadow quickly got into action. He jumped over the charging hedgehog and kicked him to the couch. Light snarled and flipped in the air. Too late, he realized that he should have taken the impact on his back. The couch rolled back with the momentum of the hedgehog and landed on him. If he had taken the impact on his back, he could have avoided the rolling furniture.

Light snarled and pushed the sofa off of him. He glared at Shadow, who was smiling. Shadow nodded and fled out the door. Light growled furiously and tore after him. The group watched the fleeing hedgehogs. Vector ran down the stairs, followed by Gallop and Espio. "What happened?" He asked. Zeera was working with the injured hedgehog while Tails and Knuckles were heading after Shadow and Light.

"Some jerk came in here and attacked Shadow. I think it was the same guy as earlier." Sonic answered through clenched teeth.

Zeera shook her head. "No, it wasn't. If that was his only blade, then it couldn't be the same guy. This wound is much smaller than Shadow's wound. You were lucky it was just a switchblade, and a toy-like weapon, not some murder weapon. You'd be dead right now if it had been the blade that pierced Shadow." Sonic rubbed his head.

"Well, when you're finished, we'll go after him with Tails and Knux."

Zeera nodded and quickly finished cleaning and dressing the wound. She walked out the door and swiftly came back with a small, red handled switchblade in her hand. "Looks like it's not his normal weapon. He must be a hand fighter," she said. Vector walked over to her and held out a bag with the word "evidence" written on it. She dropped it in and he zipped it shut.

"You guys ready?" Sonic asked. Zeera, Gallop and Vector nodded. Sonic turned to Espio. "Are you coming?" Espio shook his head. "What?"

"I told you, I want nothing to do with this," he growled. "You guys go, I'll be fine here."

"There are two assassins running around with money on our heads and you want us to leave you alone here? They know where you live, Espio!" Sonic said with a shocked expression.

"I can handle myself, Sonic," Espio snapped. "Now, hurry up or you'll miss the fight." Sonic looked at him as if he wanted to retort. He didn't. He just ran out the open door. Zeera glared at the chameleon and snarled at him. He shrugged. She narrowed her eyes and followed Sonic. Gallop sighed and chased after them.

"He has a point, you know," Vector said. "I don't really want to leave you here."

"Listen, Vec, I'll be fine. You guys go beat the bad guy. I can take care of myself." He began pushing Vector to the door.

"Why are you being like this, Espio?" He asked.

"No reason, just go!" Espio snapped.

"Why?"

"I'm scared, okay?" Espio growled. "Look, I got myself in deep last time we dealt with people this serious and I honestly don't want to go through that again! I just want to sit this one out. I don't want to see anyone around me get hurt like that again! You may not think this, but I did care about every blasted person! I may act selfish, but I wanted to keep a strong face for them, but I can't do that anymore!"

Vector stared at the detective in disbelief. He nodded slowly. "I understand, but I really wish you'd come…"

Espio smiled. "I'll be fine, Vector. Just go, please!"

Vector shrugged and ran out the door after the others. Espio walked and shut the door quietly. He sighed and ran to his room and picked up a ninja star. He had gotten them back from the police station. He pulled out a sharpening rock and slowly began stroking the star's blade. He took a deep breath and began breathing in rhythm to the strokes on the stone. He knew he hadn't been completely honest with Vector about why he didn't want to come. He had other, darker reasons for not wanting to go. Like Tails, he had fear of what he had done during that period, but, unlike Tails, he didn't carry out anything. Now, though, he was still dealing with an inner conflict that he hoped he could calm before the time came.

A loud crash from the downstairs broke his concentration. He jumped and gently put down his stone. Quietly, he walked to the door and took a deep breath. He opened the door and was greeted with a very hard blow to the stomach. He was thrown back and hit the wall. He panted from the pain and tried to stand, but found his body unresponsive because of the pain. He rolled away from another attack and looked toward his ninja star near the door. He groaned and, crying out in pain, lunged toward his only life line.

_Author's note: Cliffhanger! Scary……………… Fear it! I won't leave you in suspense too long! _


	4. Chapter 3: Taking Control

_Author's note: I hate my life… And writer's block!_

_Chapter Three: Taking Control_

_Saturday_

_2000hrs _

_Chaotix Agency_

Espio grabbed his ninja star and hurled it. The assassin dodged. He growled; mad about the fact that the kill was not as clean as he hoped it would be. He lunged at the weakening detective. Espio dodged swiftly, but it cost him dearly. He screamed as pain ripped through his leg. He looked down to see a dagger sticking out his leg. He snarled and pulled the weapon out. Blood flooded out of the wound. Espio kept a sharp eye on Bloodrayne as he walked over to his bed. The hedgehog didn't make a move.

Espio ripped a piece of his sheet off with the knife. He sat on the bed and carefully wrapped the leg wound with the sheet shred. When he finished, he tossed the knife back to Bloodrayne. He picked up his ninja star and nodded. "Okay, _now_ we play be my rules," he said. The hedgehog shrugged.

"Very well," he said. Espio smiled and circled his attacker quietly. The assassin waited calmly for Espio to make the first move, but it never came. His fingers began twitching on his blade. Espio kept his eyes on the hedgehog's expression, not the weapon. He had been trained to wait before attacking. Bloodrayne, however patient, wasn't used to having to fight for his kill. Being in the top of the trade may have taught him killing techniques, but when it came to being able to fight for what you wanted, it was a skill he had all but forgotten.

The circling lasted nearly half an hour. Espio's eyes never faltered from where he had them. He never lost sight of Bloodrayne's eyes because the assassin never let the ninja out of his sight. Bloodrayne had long since gripped his dagger to the point where his knuckles had turned white. Espio was still calmly holding his own weapon. This was for two reasons. One, he didn't want to show that he also was losing his wits in this silent battle, and Two: considering there was no dull blade of his star, if he gripped it that tightly, he would have long since ripped into his own flesh.

Finally, Bloodrayne couldn't stand it any longer. He lunged. Espio smiled, finally getting what he wanted. In the split second before Bloodrayne hit him, he held up the sharpest blade of the star, hoping to impale his attacker.

Bloodrayne saw the movement an instant before it came. He twisted in the air, cursing the fact that he had attacked first. Espio didn't account for the twist, but he tried to make up for it by swiping instead of just holding out the blade. Espio spun, swinging the blade at the hedgehog's stomach. Bloodrayne didn't expect Espio to react as quickly as he did. He didn't have time to move completely out of the way, but enough to keep from being disemboweled. The blade caught him in the side, slicing his abdomen. He fell to the ground, gripping his side. Thirty minutes of waiting had led to a two second battle.

Espio looked down at Bloodrayne. "Pathetic," he growled. Bloodrayne growled and lunged toward the ninja. Espio wasn't expecting the injured hedgehog's reaction. He was taken to the ground with a knife in his arm. He screamed and rolled away. The dagger was pulled away with the roll. Espio stood up, panting. Bloodrayne stared at him. The detective shook his head. "Enough is enough," he said, trying to reason with Bloodrayne. "If we keep this up, both of us will be dead." Bloodrayne shrugged. Espio, though, did not have a death wish. "Until we meet again!" He called and lunged out the second story window.

Bloodrayne attempted to grab Espio, but moved a moment too slow. He cursed as he watched Espio limp away. "Until next time," he growled.

_Saturday_

_2007hrs _

_Somewhere in the Mystic Ruins_

Light stopped and looked around. "You can't hide forever!" He yelled angrily. There was no answer in the dark forest. The white hedgehog growled and shook his head. "That blasted assassin! If he had stayed out of my business, then Shadow would be dead!" Beside the hedgehog was the black and white dragon. Hazard placed his head on the hedgehog's shoulder. Light gently stroked his partner and shook his head. "Come on, we'll never find him if we stay here," he growled softly and continued running. Hazard snarled silently and flew after Light.

Light screamed as he was attacked from behind. He acted quickly, twisting out of the grip of his attacker and moved for a counterattack himself. His attacker grunted as Light's fist hit its mark. Light smiled and lunged. Red marks showed him his target had found him. He picked up the black hedgehog and tossed him into a tree. Before Shadow had a chance to react, Light was on him with a series of punches to the head.

Shadow tried to roll away from the hedgehog, but Light held him hard. Shadow resorted to holding his hands above head. He closed his eyes and cried out as he felt a fist come in contact with his nose. Suddenly the onslaught was halted. Shadow looked up to see Light being pulled away by his shoulders.

Light struggled, but was held fast by two strong hands. He felt the sting of two very strong tails whipping at his face. "You little demon!" Light spat angrily. Tails smiled and whipped him again. Knuckles, who had been holding him, hurled him to the other side of the clearing and ran to Shadow.

"You okay?" He asked. Shadow nodded and rubbed his head.

"Where is he?" He growled.

"With Tails. You wanna get out of here now, or what?"

Shadow looked toward his white counterpart. "This is my fight, Knuckles, not yours," he hissed and charged Light.

Tails, who had been attacking Light, did not see Shadow's charge, and Shadow had not been keeping up with the fox's attacks. The two collided. Shadow gripped the fox and rolled to avoid major damage, but the damage had already been done. Tails yelped and panicked, thinking he was being attacked by an enemy. He tried his own roll in the opposite direction, colliding with Shadow's attempt at a roll. Shadow cursed and tried to push the fox to the ground, but Tails continued to fight to get up.

Knuckles watched helplessly as the two allies fought in the dirt. He knew Shadow wouldn't seriously hurt Tails, but he still didn't think that their fight was effective. Light could only watch, dumbfounded by the two's scrap. Slowly, he began to laugh. "They had trouble with you fools?" He asked. The fight stopped instantly. Tails looked at his "attacker", and smacked his own head. Shadow rolled his eyes at the kid. Tails shrugged in an apologetic way. Shadow exhaled sharply in annoyance. He stood up and faced Light.

"Who are you working for?" Shadow demanded defiantly. Light merely smirked mischievously and lunged for Shadow. Shadow growled and tried to sidestep Light, but the white hedgehog moved his foot out for a strong kick to the black one's jaw. "Argh!" Shadow held his jaw and leered at Light, whose sneer had not faded. Shadow faced him again.

"Who are you working for?" he repeated furiously. Light's grin only broadened.

"Who says I'm working for anyone?"

Shadow glared at Light. "You happened to mention someone," he said. Light shrugged.

A loud crash showed that their party had just gotten larger. Shadow spun around to see the rest of the heroes entering the clearing, excluding Espio. Sonic looked around at the three who actually fought. Knuckles was unharmed. Tails was a bit dirty, but nothing to serious. Shadow and Light were the worst. Both were bruised and torn. "So, what did we miss?" Sonic asked.

Knuckles sighed. "Well, Shadow and freak-o over there were fighting when Tails and I came in, and then Shadow charged Tails on accident, so they fought, then Freak-o and Shadow fought again, then you showed up."

Sonic nodded. Light didn't like his odds at the moment. "Hazard, I think you'd better have fun with these guys and we'd better get out of here." Hazard nodded. He flew high above the clearing.

Zeera looked up at the dragon. "What is that?" She asked. Gallop shook his head.

"It looks sort of like Chaos," he muttered.

Sonic nodded. "But Chaos wasn't nearly that stream-line, and he was bluish, not black and white. What is that thing?"

"His name is Hazard," Light said calmly. "And his power is stronger than even mine. Though he is nothing compared to your Chaos, he can cause enough trouble when pushed, and he has been pushed."

Vector sighed. "I don't like the sound of that…" He muttered.

The dragon opened his jaws, as if to scream, but no sound pierced the night. He began spinning in a tight circle until his body colors melted and almost looked like the Yin-Yang sign. Suddenly, there was an ear-splitting wail. Whether or not it was from the hovering beast was in the air. When the creature stopped spinning, it had an unearthly glow to it. Another, pain-filled wail echoed throughout the forest. Shadow stole a look at Light to find he had issued the scream. He cocked his head, but Light made no indication that he had seen Shadow's fearful glance.

When the scream from Light ended, the beast split in two. Shadow's eyes widened. Everyone else was just as confused, but unlike Shadow, they couldn't _feel_ the beast. Shadow could feel energy he hadn't felt in a long time coming off the beast in waves. A glance at Knuckles told him the echidna was also receiving something from Hazard.

Light looked toward the group with a smile. He nodded toward Shadow. His black counterpart lifted his hand toward Hazard. The white half of the dragon sped toward Shadow. Shadow screamed and gripped his chest as the half impacted him and disappeared. He looked around, but there was no sign of the white half of Hazard. The black half was looking desperately around, its one eye searching. Suddenly it flew toward the group, panicking. Before anyone saw where it had gone, it disappeared into the group. No one felt the effects of the beast entering them. There was a collective sigh. The common belief was that Hazard had just been killed.

"Any other moves up your sleeves, Shadow?" Sonic growled. He was just as shaken up about this as the next person. "Knuckles! Get Tails out of here. This could get messy."

Knuckles nodded and ran toward Tails. Tails took his hint and both fled toward the agency. Vector stayed along with Gallop and Zeera. Sonic pulled out a green Chaos Emerald and tossed it toward Shadow.

Shadow caught it. The second it made contact with his hand, he screamed bitterly. Sonic's eyes widened. Gallop narrowed his eyes. Zeera and Vector watched, dumbfounded as Shadow dropped the Chaos Emerald. Light made no move toward it. The tan part of his face had paled at the sight of the gem. Shadow reached toward the green emerald. For the second time, he found he could not make contact with it without it burning his flesh. He gripped it, and, ignoring the pain, screamed "Chaos Spear!" The yell was followed by an earsplitting, pain-fueled howl. It seemed the attack had back-fired, and Shadow had aimed it at himself, but there was no flash of lightning.

"Chaos Blast!" Shadow yelled. His voice was thick with fear. Another scream, worse than the first, left the hedgehog's mouth as a red glow engulfed him, and then turned black and faded into white.

"Shadow!" Sonic called. Shadow dropped the emerald and fell to his knees, breathing hard, Sonic ran to him, followed by Zeera. Gallop and Vector stayed back, unsure what to do by this point. When Sonic reached Shadow, he placed a hand on his back. The hedgehog was wet with sweat and was trembling. He yelled and attacked the blue hedgehog.

Sonic yelped and tried to roll away from the attack, but it was useless. "Shadow! It's me! Stop!" He called, but Shadow was gone, lost in his fear. His eyes had lost their pupils and were white. Shadow attacked with punches and bashes. Savage growls were coming from him. Sonic was torn between fighting, and hurting, Shadow, or just taking the onslaught. He didn't have to debate long. Shadow was pulled from Sonic by Vector. Shadow struggled for a few more moments and then hung limp in Vector's arms.

"Is he dead?" Sonic asked, standing up. Zeera ran and checked his pulse.

"He's alive," she muttered. Sonic looked at Shadow.

"What happened?" He asked, half expecting Shadow to answer him. There was no move from the hedgehog. He turned to Light. "What happened?" He yelled. Light shrugged.

"I know nothing of Chaos Emeralds," the white hedgehog whispered.

Sonic narrowed his eyes. He wanted to fight with Light, but decided against it. He turned to Zeera. "Can you take him?" He asked her, indicating to Shadow.

Zeera nodded. "Gallop and I will take good care of him," she said.

Sonic motioned for Gallop to follow him. The wolf nodded and followed. When they were out of ear shot, Sonic stopped. "You know a little about the Chaos Emeralds, right?" He asked. Gallop nodded. "Good. Look, I'm going to try and track down these assassins and figure out who they are working for. I need you to figure out went wrong." He handed Gallop the green Chaos Emerald. "Tell me if this isn't a real Chaos Emerald, okay?"

"Why don't you ask Tails?" Gallop asked. Sonic sighed.

"After what happened, I still don't trust him enough for something this important. Tails may still be on our side, but he's just a kid."

Gallop nodded. "I'll analyze it, and Shadow, if you don't mind."

"Don't freak him out anymore, but feel free to do what you must."

The wolf nodded again and ran toward Zeera. The duo left with Shadow toward their cave. Sonic walked over to Vector. "So, Espio didn't show up?" He asked. Vector nodded. "He'll come around." They left to go to the agency.

Light smiled and began leaving as well. A black and red hedgehog jumped in front of him. "What did you do to that guy?" Bloodrayne asked. He was panting as if he had gone through what Shadow did.

Light laughed. "I did nothing to Shadow," he said with a grin.

"Then what happened to him?"

"Nothing your mind can comprehend, child," Light growled. "Now, I will leave Sonic alone if you leave Shadow alone. The rest we can compete for."

Bloodrayne nodded. "I don't make deals with the devil," he growled.

"Well, the devil's waiting for you, then," Light retorted and fled. Bloodrayne shivered slightly at the comment and shook his head and continued his search for the runaway chameleon.

_Author's note: Yeah… You should be somewhat confused about what happened. I hope you aren't too confused, though. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!_


	5. Chapter 4: Please, Forget your Past

_Author's note: Hey guys! What's up? I still have writer's block and I hope my story doesn't suffer from this. Those who requested to see more of Bloodrayne should be very happy with this chapter._

_Chapter Four: Please, Forget Your Past…_

_Saturday_

_2400hrs_

_Chaotix Agency_

Vector shook his head as he walked into the agency, Sonic at his heels. "What a night," he muttered. The blue hedgehog nodded without answering. He was wondering if he had made the right choice by giving Gallop the emerald and not Tails. He knew he'd have to come clean with Tails. _But not tonight,_ he thought as he saw the young, twin-tailed fox was curled up, sleeping, on the floor. Knuckles was on the couch reading a book. Or, at least he had been reading a book. The book lay across his lap and his head was bent and his eyes were closed. Vector laughed. The two had taken some time in trying to find Light before they came back, which gave Knuckles and Tails time to get bored and fall asleep. "Wanna stay over tonight?" He whispered. Sonic nodded. "Alright. I'm going to go see what Espio's up to and grab two more blankets."

Sonic sighed as Vector walked quietly up the stairs. He smiled weakly at the two sleeping forms and curled up on the other side of the couch. He was just drifting off to sleep when he heard his name being called from upstairs. "Ah, Vector, can't it wait?" He muttered and got up. Vector's call didn't wake the other two sleeping figures and Sonic made sure he didn't as well. He slipped silently up the stairs. "What?" He hissed when he got up there. Vector was standing outside of Espio's room. He pointed in and Sonic looked. Blood splattered the walls and a few things were broken, counting the window. They walked in.

"I told him," Vector growled.

"I'm sure he's fine," Sonic muttered. He looked around the room, hardly believing the words he had spoken. Vector got on the phone, dialing quickly.

"Hello?" Espio answered.

"Where are you?" Vector demanded.

"At the train station, Vector," Espio said, sounding annoyed.

"What were you thinking? You could have been killed!"

Espio sighed. "I'm sorry Vector," he muttered sarcastically. "I know I should keep my room tidy, but getting killed over it? Sure, I keep weapons in there, but I know my way around my mess."

"Cut the smart talk, buddy-boy and get back here! I'll meet you at the station."

Espio laughed. "I'm not in the Ruins, or Station Square, Vector," he said.

"Well, then, where are you?" Vector yelled. Sonic cocked his head and pointed at the open door. Vector mouthed a "sorry" and Sonic walked over and shut the door.

Espio sighed. "I'm in Westopolis," he answered calmly

"You're WHERE?" Vector growled.

"Westopolis," Espio repeated.

"Well, get on the next train home! You are so dead!"

Espio sighed again. "I'm not coming home. What ever is going on, I don't want any part of it. I'll call you when I'm ready to come home.

"You can't just abandon us like this, Espio," Vector growled.

"I'm done, Vector, I'm sorry." There was a 'click' and the line went dead, ending their conversation.

_Sunday_

_400hrs_

_Wildheart cave_

Gallop groaned as he looked at the green gem in his hands. He grabbed a mug and swallowed the drink within it in one gulp. He put the cup down and stared blankly at the emerald.

"How many cups of coffee have you had?" Zeera asked. She was standing beside the couch where the black hedgehog slept. The living room had been turned into a hospital and a lab. Gallop sat with a microscope and many different dyes and chemicals to test the stability of the emerald. Where Zeera stood, there was an I.V, a heart monitor, and a machine that measured brain activity. A clean white sheet was covering the couch and the coffee table. On the table, there were many needles, medicine bottles and two scalpels, all untouched.

"Four," Gallop growled. It was late; he was tired and frustrated with his project. Zeera shook her head.

"You know what coffee does to you, Gallop," she muttered. Gallop chuckled despite himself. He remembered the last time he had caffeine over dose. It had been almost worse than his Black Armor rampages, except that time, he was just very hyper.

"D-Caf," Gallop said with a smile. "How's the hedgehog?"

Zeera shook her head. "Physically, he's perfectly healthy. That wound he got stopped bleeding and scabbed over before I had a chance to re-bandage it. As far as I can tell, there isn't any brain damage. Brain activity is completely normal. Better than normal, actually." Gallop cocked his head. Zeera sighed. "It seems he actually has boosted brain activity. His mind is working as if he were awake and working on a tough math problem."

"So, what's the problem?" Gallop asked. "Shock?"

Zeera shook her head again. "No… He doesn't show any signs of being in shock. No fever, no nothing." She shrugged. "He's the picture of health."

"Except for the fact that he's laying in a vegetated state as if in a coma?" Gallop asked.

"He's not in a vegetated state. There's brain activity. I guess it could be a coma, but there's no sign of head trauma."

"So, what in the world is wrong with him?" Gallop growled.

"I don't know! What's wrong with your emerald?"

Gallop shook his head. "Nothing," he muttered. "As far as I can tell, it's a real emerald. And if it wasn't, then there is no way it could be wired just to affect him. DNA homing devices, as affective as they are, are not this advance, not yet anyway. What ever happened was entirely his fault."

"But that makes no sense, Gallop! There is nothing wrong with him!"

"If it was the emerald, then I'd be affected by it!"

Zeera growled softly and walked into the kitchen. Gallop walked over to Shadow and looked at him. He looked around and placed the emerald on Shadow's arm. The hedgehog recoiled in his sleep. Gallop looked at the brain monitor and blinked as it showed the activity of someone trying to find an escape. He took the emerald off Shadow's arm and gently laid it on Shadow's head. The hedgehog screamed, sounding much like Light's tortured scream from earlier. Gallop quickly pulled the gem away from Shadow. Zeera ran into the living room. "What did you do?" She asked.

"Nothing," Gallop lied. Zeera quickly checked over Shadow and found nothing wrong. Gallop picked up a scalpel and studied the sharp blade. Zeera wasn't paying any attention to him. Gallop gently pushed Zeera away from the hedgehog and before she had a chance to argue, he sliced Shadow's arm. Shadow flinched, but stayed calm. Nothing changed on any of the monitors, but Gallop wasn't looking at the monitors, he was looking at the cut he had just made.

"What did you do that for?" Zeera snarled. Gallop didn't answer. "Hello? Answer me when I'm talking to you, Gallop!" The wolf shook his head and pointed to the cut. Zeera looked down at it and gasped. White gunk was leaking from Shadow's skin. Gallop reached toward it and touched the ooze. It was much thicker than blood. He cocked his head and sniffed it. It smelled like burnt flesh. He wrinkled his nose and sighed as he wiped it off his fingers.

"What is it?" He asked Zeera.

The panther shook her head. "I don't know. That's not a medical condition I've ever heard of… Do you think that's what's killing him?"

"No," Gallop muttered. He quickly took a sample of the white "blood" and ran to his microscope. "It's blood," he muttered. "It has white and red blood cells. The only problem is that it's as thick as honey…"

"…And white," Zeera finished.

"The only question is; how'd he get it?"

Zeera shrugged. She went to bandage Gallop's cut, but found it to be black and smooth. She cocked her head. "It scabbed over," she said. Gallop walked over to them. He looked at the scab.

"They usually don't fit a person's skin or fur color," he muttered. "What ever that white stuff is, it's alive."

"Alive?"

Gallop nodded. "A parasite or something that entered his body."

"You don't think that dragon did this to him, do you?"

"That's exactly what I think," Gallop said. "Now we have to figure out where the other half went." Zeera shrugged.

"It was either one of us or that other hedgehog," Zeera said. Gallop nodded again. "So, who was it?"

_Sunday_

_400hrs_

_Mystic Ruins_

The wind howled loudly. It wasn't as calm as it had been earlier and the night threatened to bring rain. A red and black hedgehog was staring at the sky. He growled and continued walking. He didn't much like rain, or water for that matter. He wasn't having a good day. After a few hours of trying to track Espio down by following a small trail of blood, he had found the chameleon smarter than he'd first been given credit for. After following the twisted and loopy trail, Bloodrayne came to the conclusion that Espio was either really smart, or drunk. He had followed the trail for almost four hours, knowing it had taken Espio a much shorter time to make it. By the time he lost the trail, he realized the he had doubled back to the clearing that everyone was at earlier.

He had just left the clearing after ranting and muttering about the fact that his little target was probably on a train to Station Square by now. He rubbed his head and decided it was time to go back to the agency to go after the others. He'd get Espio later.

"Hi!" A voice said happily. Bloodrayne jumped at the voice and looked around to find no one. He laughed nervously.

"I think I need a nap," he muttered and continued walking.

"I said 'hi'!" The voice called again, this time much closer. Bloodrayne didn't even stop this time. He kept going, and even quickened his pace. Something landed on his head. He screamed and reached toward whatever it was to find it gone. He looked around wildly, but found nothing. "You're rude," the voice said. Bloodrayne screamed again, realizing the speaker had been on his shoulder that time. He grabbed the tiny creature and stared at it. "Hi!" It said for the third time. Bloodrayne cocked his head. What he held in his hand was a very young, very small, very blue, raccoon. The coon had a huge smile on his small face. It would have almost been funny. The smile seemed much too big for the coon's face.

"Hi?" Bloodrayne said uncertainly.

"Hi!" The coon said again. It spoke short and quick with a high pitched voice. Bloodrayne growled and threw the kid to the ground. "Ouch! That hurt!" The coon said, still happily. Bloodrayne rolled his eyes and kept walking. The coon followed him. "My name is Jink!" He said.

"Congratulations," Bloodrayne muttered.

"What's your name?" Jink asked.

Bloodrayne sighed, getting annoyed. "I'm not liable to tell you that," he answered.

Jink smiled. "Oh…" He looked up as if he was thinking. "I guess that's okay, but…"

"But…?" Bloodrayne asked; then cursed himself for engaging in conversation with the kid.

"What's 'liable' mean?" Jink asked. Bloodrayne slapped his own head and walked faster. "Hey! Wait up, fishie!"

Bloodrayne halted. "_Fishie?_" He asked, looking at Jink. The coon nodded vigorously. The hedgehog clasped his hands together and sighed deeply. "I'm not a fish, I'm a hedgehog."

Jink looked shocked. "You _are_?" He asked. "You don't look like a hedgehog."

"Well, you don't look like a raccoon!" Bloodrayne retorted, once again regretting answering the coon.

Jink smiled. "Well, today I'm not a raccoon! I'm a baboon!"

"I'd say more of a _buffoon_," Bloodrayne muttered.

Jink happily ignored the comment. "And you are a fish!"

Bloodrayne inhaled sharply. "No, I'm a hedgehog!" He growled.

Jink shrugged. "Okay, whatever, Fish!" He said with a smiled. Bloodrayne rolled his eyes and began walking. Jink ran after him and jumped on his shoulder. "So, where are we going?" He asked.

Bloodrayne screamed again. He wasn't expecting to see the kid again. "_We're_ not going anywhere." He growled through clenched teeth. Jink did not move. He just kept that huge grin on his face. "Get away from me!" Bloodrayne said and shoved Jink off his shoulder. The coon fell to the ground and began crying. Bloodrayne rubbed right above his eye. Jink mumbled something that the hedgehog couldn't understand. "What?" He growled.

"I just wanted to be your fwiend," Jink said through his tears. He sniffled. "No one ever wants to be my friend."

"Gee, I wonder why," Bloodrayne muttered, which caused the kid to cry even harder. Bloodrayne sighed. "Look, you don't want to be my friend," he said.

"Why?" Jink asked. "I like you."

"You don't know me."

Jink shrugged. "So, you talked to me, which makes you my friend!" He said, regaining his happy tone.

Bloodrayne shook his head. "No, it doesn't. You don't know anything about me!"

Jink looked at him. "Why won't you tell me then?" He asked.

"Look, you don't know anything about me!"

Jink shrugged. "I know you're really tense. You need to slow down, take a look at a sunrise, and find a friend."

Bloodrayne growled angrily. "I don't need a friend!"

The coon cocked his head. "We all need friends," he said. He bowed his head. "I don't have friends either."

Bloodrayne rolled his eyes. "Well, you've picked the wrong fis…" he shook his head. "_Hedgehog_ to be your friend."

"Why?" Jink asked again.

"Because I'm an assassin," Bloodrayne growled.

Jink looked surprised and shocked for a brief moment, and then looked confused. "What's an assassin?" He asked.

"It's a person who kills people for money," the hedgehog explained.

"Oh…" Jink said. He seemed to be pondering something for a brief moment. "So?" He asked.

Bloodrayne cocked his head. "So? I've killed a lot of people for no reason that I know of! That doesn't bother you?" He asked, almost getting angry.

"We all make mistakes," Jink said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yeah, well my mistakes are a bit worse than the little forest creatures that live around here."

Jink smiled at the hedgehog. "I don't judge people on who they were; I judge them on who they are now."

"Right now, I am an Assassin!" Bloodrayne yelled. "And that's what I will always be!"

"Why?"

Bloodrayne stopped short, taken aback by the question. He blinked several times and shook his head. "I don't know anymore," he muttered and began walking.

"If you don't know why you're an assassin, then why do you stay one?" Jink asked.

Bloodrayne spun around. "Because!" He yelled. Birds flew from their perches and Jink flinched. "Because just like you will always be a raccoon and that tree will always be a tree, I will always be an assassin. You know why?" Jink shook his head. "Because I was born one, okay?" He growled. "You were born a raccoon and a fox is born a fox! I was born an assassin and that's what I will be until I die, got it? We can't change what we are! No stretch of imagination or insanity will _ever_ change what we are!" He growled and spun around and began walking away.

Jink watched sadly. He blinked once and bowed his head. "You're just a fish to me." Jink muttered.

Bloodrayne stopped and sighed. "My name is Bloodrayne," he said and disappeared into the night.

_Author's note: That would be Jink for you! All those people that wanted to see more of Bloodrayne, there you have him… Now, Zeera will have to tell you if I did him right. ____ I hope I did and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!_


	6. Chapter 5: Hidden Pasts

Author's note: _Hey! Again… How's life? Well, this is the dreaded Band Camp week, so this might not be the best chapter ever. I hope you like it, though._

_Chapter Five: Hidden Pasts_

_Sunday_

_0600hrs_

_Westopolis_

Espio looked at the train station he had just walked into and sighed. "You can't hide forever." He thought aloud. "Sooner or later one of them will find you."

"Ticket?" Espio jumped at the sound of the voice. He was just about to board the train back to Station Square. He had decided that hiding wasn't going to work. "Ticket, sir?" The conductor asked. Espio looked at him and sighed. He turned around to see a small child gripping a ticket for dear life. He looked tired and scared. Espio sighed and looked back at the conductor. He held up the "one minute" sign and walked over to the little boy.

"Hey," he said. The kid looked at him. Espio could see now that the child was no more than eleven. "This is a rough neighborhood. Where are your parents?"

"At home," The kid answered with a guarded expression. Espio was shocked that a kid that young would have a reason to guard his expression like that.

"Well, why are you here? Visiting family?" Espio asked.

The boy shook his head. "I ran away from home, and I'm never going back!"

Espio sighed again. He knew how the boy felt. "Why?"

"Because, no one cares about me back there! I just wanted to get away from it all! I can't stand them!"

"I know how you feel," Espio muttered. "I guess I ran away too, but for different reasons. I don't deserve to be with my 'family'. I deserve much less than what has been given to me."

The boy laughed quietly and shook his head. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

Espio shrugged. "Sometimes we need to get away from it all to discover that we should be part of it all." He smiled. "But you shouldn't be trying to get away from it all." He pushed the kid toward the train that was about to leave for Station Square. "Go home, kid." The boy looked at him and sighed with a nod and headed toward the train.

"Ticket?" The conductor asked the boy. He handed the man the ticket. Espio followed slowly. "Ticket?" He asked. The detective looked down at his ticket and sighed. With a slight, regretful grunt, he ripped the ticket in half.

"Sorry," he muttered. "But my ticket won't get me home…"

_Sunday_

_Mystic Ruins_

_Sun Rise_

Gallop rubbed his head and looked at Shadow. His condition had gotten much worse since they realized what was wrong with him. He was soaked with sweat and would often go into fits of thrashing out and moaning. Gallop already bore a bruise from the fits. Zeera had tried every calming herb she could think of, but the hedgehog would not calm. Gallop looked at Zeera. She had bags under her eyes. A cup of coffee was in her hands. Gallop walked over to her. "Zeera… I don't get it," he muttered. "What's wrong with him?"

Zeera shook her head. "I don't know, either, Gallop," she answered softly. There was a loud scream and both Zeera and Gallop spun around to see Shadow, sitting up and holding his head. "Not again!" Zeera growled.

"Get the tea, I'll try to calm him again," Gallop said. Zeera nodded and bolted into the kitchen. Gallop ran to the couch and grabbed Shadow. This one wasn't as bad as the worst and Shadow quickly stopped screaming. Gallop stared in shock as Shadow looked around the room. "Hey," Gallop whispered. Shadow looked at him.

"Where am I?" He asked quietly.

"You're at my house," Gallop answered. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

Shadow shook his head. "I just have a head-ache," he said. He stood up. "I'm hungry."

Zeera walked in with some tea. "Well, looks like I didn't need to get this. How are you feeling?"

Shadow shrugged. "Hungry," he repeated.

Zeera smiled. "I'll bet. Well, what do you want? We have fish, veggie burgers, milk, a bunch of fruit and vegetables and, well a few other things. Can you walk?" Shadow nodded and stood up from the couch. Zeera smiled. "Come on," she said. Shadow looked around as he followed Zeera. Gallop watched them silently. He walked into the room with the black door. He walked over to his black guitar and smiled as the instrument fell comfortably in his hands. He strummed it quietly. He hadn't played the instrument in many years. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. His fingers slowly began playing a soft song. Zeera knocked on the door. Gallop lifted his head and looked at her, stopping the music. "He's eating," she said.

Gallop smiled. "That's good. I want you to get some sleep, Zeera. I'm going to go get in a walk."

Zeera sighed. "Alright," she said and walked out. Gallop gently put the instrument back on its stand. He walked out of the room and locked it behind him. On his way out, he went to check on Shadow.

"You okay?" He asked. Shadow nodded, staring at his plate. Gallop nodded to him. "Well, try to get some more rest if at all possible. Don't leave the cave until we know you're strong enough to."

Shadow looked at him. "I'm not a kid," he growled.

"I know," Gallop said. With a sigh, he walked out of the cave. He liked being able to walk around again. During the six months since the last attack, he had been afraid to leave the cave, but now he was happy to leave. He carried a crowbar in a sheath on his back. He took a deep breath and began jogging through the forest. He smiled as the trees flew past him and he glided effortlessly. His mind was completely gone when he felt searing pain rip through his back.

With a howl, he rolled and jumped to his feet. Without looking to see who had stabbed him, he fled faster. At the speed he was going, he couldn't press the pendent without tripping himself. He pounded his four legs and growled as he felt someone land on his back. Gallop barked and halted, stopping on a dime. His rider screamed as he was thrown off. Gallop snarled and turned around and fled in another direction. He heard slight whooshing behind him and picked up the pace, being able to out run his attacker. But he didn't expect his attacker to throw things at him. He growled as a knife ripped through the muscle of his hind leg. He went down like a rock.

His attacker was on him in seconds. Gallop rolled, trying to stay out of the way of the knife. He knew that he couldn't be killed like normal wolves. His collar had to be split open to destroy him. His only hope was that his attacker did not know that.

The struggle was not a brief one. Gallop fought hard, but he was old and tired. After a few minutes, both fighters broke away. Gallop was shocked to see himself face to face with a red and black hedgehog. His pinned ears pricked and he cocked his head. The hedgehog narrowed his eyes. "Nightmare?" Gallop asked. The hedgehog's eyes widened and he took a step back. Gallop laughed slightly. "I haven't seen you in over 15 years. Man, I thought you were dead!"

"You have the wrong guy," the hedgehog growled. "Nightmare was my father…"

Gallop looked at him in shock. "Bloodrayne?" He asked. He shook his head. "Wow… Last time I saw you, you were knee high to a grasshopper."

Bloodrayne glared at the wolf. "How do you know my name?" He asked.

Gallop sighed. "You wouldn't have remembered me. I think you were about three when I met your dad. How is he?"

"Dead," Bloodrayne growled.

Gallop nodded. "I figured as much. Guys in your trade don't usually last a very long time. I'm surprised you made it this long. Who did him in?"

Bloodrayne glared at him through slits. "I did." The wolf's eyes widened. After a moment, he laughed. His laugh wasn't humorless. It was a full laugh. Bloodrayne looked at him as if he had gone insane. "I didn't think you would find that funny," he muttered.

Gallop smiled. "Your father told me that he'd make a killer out of you. I just didn't think he would succeed."

"How did you know him?"

The wolf shrugged his shoulders. "Let's just say we both had the same goal."

"You were an assassin?" Bloodrayne asked. Gallop laughed again.

"Assassin? Nah, too much blood for too little pay, if you ask me. I never respected assassins, or people who hired them. If you have a problem with someone, talk it out or kill them yourself."

"Well, if you weren't hired to kill someone, how did you and my father share a common goal?" Bloodrayne asked, confused.

Gallop sighed. "I don't want to talk about. I was you father's target. The only one of his targets to get away; and he was the only one of mine to get away. I remember that night."

Bloodrayne looked deeply at the wolf. "I do too. My dad told me to stay in my room. He said something about Team Firestorm finally found him…"

"You have a good memory, kid. Let me guess, you didn't obey him."

"I came out of my room, yes," Bloodrayne muttered with a nod. "I remember a lot of blood and cursing. I don't remember too much about what was said, but I remember you. Blood was dripping from your jaws. I never knew whose blood it was."

Gallop nodded. "It was probably your dad's. I mean, there was a lot of blood that night, but most of it was mine, but I managed a few bites. I was young and stupid then. I may have been an excellent fighter, but the way you two fight, I was never trained to deal with it. I know now, however, how to fight like that." Gallop shook his head. "I came to your house that night thinking I was going to kill him. He was more than happy to see me, considering I had so much money on my head, regular citizens wanted my hide, let alone assassins. I'm sure he thought he was going to get a kill in too."

Bloodrayne shrugged. "Well, now it's my turn for a chance at your hide."

Gallop smiled. "Like father, like son," he growled.

"Hey! The apple doesn't choose which tree it falls from!"

"Well, the apple always has a choice to roll!" Gallop retorted. "You are exactly like him!"

Bloodrayne snarled angrily. "Don't _ever_ compare me to him!"

"Why? Because it's true?" Gallop growled.

"Shut up! You know nothing!"

"I know enough!" Gallop said. "You are just as heartless and head strong as he was! I knew him before and after that night! You remind me so much of him!"

"SHUT UP!"

"You are nothing but a shadow of your old man! Hey, look on the bright side," Gallop said with a smile. "At least he'll be proud of you!"

"_SHUT UP_!" Bloodrayne screamed and lunged. Gallop smiled. He had made the assassin angry and when people were angry, they became ruthless and stupid, all emotions and common sense clouded. Gallop quickly turned on his armor and swung his now metal arm into Bloodrayne's forehead. The hedgehog hit with great force and fell to the ground, dazed.

Gallop stared at him and lifted his head. Bloodrayne threw his hands to his ears. In the wolf's profile, it had stated that he could easily burst eardrums with his howls. But the howl was not ear splitting. The hedgehog cautiously lifted his hands off his ears. The wolf was emitting a soft, low howl. Bloodrayne blinked, wondering why the wolf was just standing there, howling when the hedgehog had weapons that could finish him off in seconds. Bloodrayne took a step forward, only to find his legs felt like metal. Gallop had lowered his howl an octave. Bloodrayne blinked quickly and constantly. His mind was suddenly clouded with fatigue. He shook his head, trying to clear it.

The wolf's howl had lowered to where no human would be able to hear it. Bloodrayne felt his eye-lids becoming very heavy. His eyes were rolling as he fought to stay awake. Finally, the hedgehog dropped to his hands and knees. Gallop stopped howling and walked over to him. "What did you do?" He asked quietly. With a loud sigh, he fell to the ground, finally submitting to the fatigue that gripped his body.

Gallop looked down at the unconscious hedgehog at his paws. He muttered a curse and bent down, opening his maw over Bloodrayne's neck. He bit down gently, but pulled away. "No more killing," he muttered. With a grunt, he hauled the hedgehog to his back and ran through the forest. He was not heading towards the cave. He was heading towards the Chaotix Agency.

_Author's note: The mystery of Gallop thickens! Alright, Gallop's family had the ability to put people to sleep through sleep potions, songs, howls and massages. That may explain what happened at the end. And yeah, you can love him or hate him, but that's Bloodrayne for you!_


	7. Chapter 6: The Pain it Took

Author's note: _Dude! I am SOOO late on my updates! If you think is bad, I haven't updated KA5 in like, forever! I hate writer's block/pulls out knife and starts stabbing a block of clay with the word "writer's" written on it. /_

_Gallop: Yeah… On to the story!_

_Chapter Six: The Pain it took…_

_Sunday_

_Mystic Ruins_

_0856hrs_

Light sighed angrily as he waited outside the Chaotix agency, crouched in a tree. Nothing exciting had happened. He had been there since well before sun-rise. He shook his head. No one had come out, there we no noise from within the building, and it seemed that no one was even stirring yet. The hedgehog sorely missed the company of Hazard. The two had been almost inseparable since GUN had made them. The hedgehog laid his hand down instinctually, wanting to feel the flow of energy he had grown up with.

Light looked at the sky. It was a dull blue. He knew by the patterns that a storm was just a few days off. The soft wind was already damp and cool. He looked down at his black gloves and sighed. Most people had a choice as to what they got to be when they grew up. Light was one of those rare occasions where your fate was laid before you. He leaned against the tree and inhaled deeply.

The hedgehog was, in all technical terms, sixty-five years old. His mind had been created long before GUN searched through some old ARK records to find a long-lost disk containing a very conscious mind of an unborn creature. Light growled as he remembered the agonizing years where he could nothing but think. He looked down at his legs and blinked away a few tears as he remembered the day he had been "born" into GUN's lab. It was only five years ago. He leaned his head against the trunk and smiled at the memory.

"_Project: Sun's Light?" A voice asked. "Can you hear me?" _

_The hedgehog lifted his head, seeing for the first time in his life. He was 60 years old then, but his body was new. "I…" He said. He jumped as his voice came out. He laughed slightly. He had never spoken before either. "I can…"_

_The man smiled. "I'm glad," he said with a smile. "Are you okay?" _

"_I…I think so…" Light answered. He was _feeling_. He was feeling giddy. _

"_Alright! That's great! Can you try and stand for me?" The hedgehog nodded and slowly tried to stand from where he was sitting. His legs were shaking. _What is this feeling?_ He thought. _

"_I'm…"_

"_You're what?" The man asked. The hedgehog lifted himself all the way to his feet. He waited a moment until he was steady on his feet and took a step forward. The man smiled, tears in his eyes as if the hedgehog were his son that had just put his fist foot forward. "What do you feel?" He asked. He wanted to know Light's emotions, hoping the hedgehog could decipher feelings._

"_I'm… Frightened," the hedgehog whispered and ran to the man, hugging him. "Captain… I'm scared!" _

_The Captain bent down to hug the boy. "You'll be fine. GUN has big plans for you…"_

Light shook his head. The rest of the day had been a big celebration that their project was a success. Light smiled as he remembered meeting Hazard for the first time. His eyes darkened as he remembered the day he was told what GUN's "big plans" were.

A loud, pain-filled grunt woke the hedgehog out of his memories. He looked down from where he sat to see Gallop limping with Bloodrayne on his back. "I knew that child would get himself in trouble," the white hedgehog growled with a sneer. "Kids these days…"

Gallop walked into the agency. "Vector!" He called. The croc ran down stairs.

He looked at the wolf and cocked his head. "What's up, Gallop?" He asked. Gallop placed the assassin on the ground. Vector glared at him. "Is that..?

Gallop nodded. "The assassin. I think this is the one that went after Shadow first."

Vector noted Bloodrayne's weapons. "Looks like it."

Sonic walked in. He had been sleeping in the kitchen on the floor. He looked at the red and black hedgehog. He cocked his head. "Out for good?" He asked.

Gallop shrugged. "Don't know…" He answered truthfully. "Usually this keeps them out for at least eight hours. I guess it all depends on how tired they were when I knocked them out. What should we do with him?"

Vector laughed. "That's obvious. I recognize his profile. He's been wanted all over the country. Second best in the business."

Gallop cocked his head. "Second?"

"Maybe first. I don't kept track of these guys!"

Sonic groaned. "So, you want us to turn him in?"

"It seems the easiest thing. We'd knock out one of our stalkers and the other seems like a push-over."

Tails opened one eye. "You didn't have to fight him," he said. He closed his eye and settled back on the couch. Sonic smiled.

"Okay, so we turn the guy in?" Gallop asked. Sonic and Vector nodded. "Sounds great!"

Tails opened his eyes again and stood up. He had been unable to get to sleep. He went into the kitchen. Sonic smacked Knuckles awake and ran into the kitchen after Tails. The echidna glared after him, rubbing his head. Vector and Gallop were looking at him. "What?" Knuckles asked. They said nothing. Knuckles groaned and grabbed his book. Vector went to the phone and Gallop walked over to the red and black assassin. He looked at the sleeping form and shook his head, remembering the young child he had seen that night.

"Tails?" Sonic asked. The fox looked up from the refrigerator.

"Huh?" Tails answered.

"I have a confession to make… I… Don't trust you like I should. I gave Gallop the Chaos Emerald to examine. I feel horrible about it, but I know it was the right choice."

Tails nodded slowly. "I understand," he said.

"You're not mad at me?"

The young fox forced a laugh. "Of course not!" He said with a smile. He blinked a few times. He would never admit it, but what Sonic had done broke him a little bit more. He had been trying hard to bring back the trust he had lost.

"You sure?"

Tails waved him off. "I'm going for a walk." He muttered and before Sonic could utter a reply, the fox was gone.

Sonic sighed and walked out of the kitchen. Knuckles looked at him. "You told him, didn't you?"

The hedgehog nodded. "He seemed upset about it."

"He'll get over it," Knuckles said, not meaning to sound rude. Tails, who had not yet left, glared at the echidna. Knuckles groaned and Sonic also gave him a look. The echidna sighed and went back to reading his book. Sonic waved good-bye to the fox as Tails went out the door, slamming it.

Light smiled. He was no longer in his tree. He was near the side of the house. _So the kid feels unloved,_ the hedgehog thought. _Good._ He had heard every word of the conversation. He allowed Tails to get a few yards in front before following slowly. Alex's orders had been not to mess with their feelings, but Light couldn't resist. He sped up until he was right beside Tails. The fox jumped and looked at him. "You!" He snarled.

"Me?" Light asked. "What did I do? Can't be much worse than what you did." The white and blue creature knew all about Tails' episode. It was included in his profile.

Tails stopped and narrowed his eyes at Light. "How do you know about that?" He asked.

Light smiled. "Did you think you could just hide from your mistakes for the rest of your life?" He growled. He moved until he was right in front of the fox. Tails looked at the ground. "Aw, what's the matter?"

"Just leave me alone!" Tails growled.

"Or what, huh? You're going to whip me with that tail of yours? I guess you've had good practice with hitting hedgehogs." Tails clenched his fists. "Aw, am I making the little fox sad?" Light said in a mocking tone.

"Go away!"

"I was given specific orders to make sure your death was long and dragged out, buddy-boy! My employer doesn't like you too much!"

"Who is your employer?" Tails asked, trying to forget his anger. He knew anger led to bad places.

Light smiled. "I can't tell you that. My employer wouldn't like that. Sorry." He patted Tails on the head. "Don't worry, though, with your last second of life, I'll be sure to tell you who wants your group dead… Other than you, of course." Tails glared at him. Light smiled. "You're mad at me, aren't you?" He asked. Tails nodded reluctantly. "Give into it," Light hissed. Tails shook his head. "You've given into anger before, haven't you? You hated it, didn't you?" Tails nodded again. "I understand…"

"_Captain… Why was I created?" Light asked. _

_The Captain looked at him. "You know, you can call me by my real name, Light." _

_Light looked at the human. "You're avoiding the subject, Bert," he said. _

_Bert smiled. "We don't know why Gerald created your mind, but we made your body for this purpose, Light." _

_The hedgehog looked at the criminal at his feet. "To kill?" Light asked. He didn't mind if it was to kill. He just wanted to know._

_Bert sighed. "No, Light," he said with a smile. "Now isn't the best time to discuss this. The training facility will close soon and I need to get you to your barrack." _

_Light nodded and examined the shivering man before him. This was the first time he had been standing in front of a man that had been given the death sentence, but it wasn't the first time he questioned his existence. His body was only three weeks old by that point. He still had trouble walking, but his muscles were strong. He looked at Bert, who nodded. Light sighed and brought his hand down on the man before him. He fell, unconscious at Light's feet. "I didn't kill him…" Light said._

_Bert nodded. "I know. I didn't expect you to. You aren't strong enough yet. Good job." Light shrugged and looked around as the man was hauled out of the training field. Bert stood up from his chair. "Coming?" He asked. Light nodded and followed the Captain into the Base. _

Light glared at Tails. "You could never understand what I went through," Tails growled.

Light shrugged. "Lost, confused. You didn't know who to turn to, right? You felt used."

Tails cocked his head. "How…?"

"Lucky guess," the hedgehog answered. He took a step toward Tails. The fox kept and eye on him, but he didn't move. Light smiled. He had gotten the fox right where he wanted him. Confused. Light placed a hand on Tails shoulder. He felt the tender joint and wondered if Tails had suffered an injury on that shoulder before. The fox glared at him, but didn't move. He was devising a plan all his own and before Light could make a move, Tails gripped his arm and twisted.

Light was caught off guard. He screamed as his wrist was twisted in an awkward position. He growled and sank his teeth into Tails' arm. The fox yelped and released his grip and Light's arm. "Good job!" Light said, spitting out fur. "I was warned you had a tendency to do something like that." He landed a round kick on the fox's head. Tails yelped and gripped his now throbbing head. Light smiled and lunged. He grabbed Tails and wrapped on arm around his neck.

Tails gagged. It didn't feel like he was being strangled. It took him a moment, but he realized the move. Though he had never used it, he had been told once or twice that it was fatal. He waited for the snap that would end his life. He knew the hedgehog would yank hard enough to snap his neck in two.

He heard a loud snap, but it wasn't his neck. The pressure was released and he heard a furious hiss. He looked up to see Light being held down by a panther. He cocked his head until he remembered he knew the panther. Shadow was standing in the shadows of the trees.

Light growled and kicked Zeera in the face, breaking the skin. She growled and lifted her hand to swipe. Light took the moment to kick her off. She snarled as she rolled. When she recovered, the hedgehog was gone.

Tails looked at her. "Thanks…" He muttered. "What were you doing out here in the first place?"

Zeera shrugged. "Looking for Gallop." She said. Tails didn't answer. He was staring at the cut on her face. "It's just a cut."

Tails shook his head. Zeera looked at him and reached toward her face. She touched the cut. It was bleeding pretty badly. She looked her hand, expecting to see blood. But all she saw was a white steak on her hand.

_Author's note: Yay! I finally did a chapter with Light's past! Go Light and your past! WOOH/Heh/ sorry guys! Love ya! Yeah, just in case you didn't catch it, the sections in italics were Light's memories! I hope this chapter opened your mind to him a little more. ___


End file.
